22nd October 2018: DRG today announces that it has agreed an exclusive new non-scripted content relationship with Woodcut Media and The Development Partnership.
Woodcut Media is one of the UK’s fastest growing independent producers and is led by CEO Kate Beal and creative director Derren Lawford, with support from former Lion TV founder Jeremy Mills, who acts as chairman. The Development Partnership (TDP), run by Robert Taylor, is a development company that aims to provide an environment for talent to have a substantial voice in the development and production of projects they are passionate about. Last year, the TDP/ Woodcut Partnership produced Football: A brief History by Alfie Allen for the History Channel and are currently in pre-production on another major talent-led series, soon to be announced.
The new tri-partite relationship adds DRG’s extensive international market knowledge and support to TDP/ Woodcut’s talent-led factual slate, creating a team that will jointly develop and produce a broad range of non-scripted talent-led content with global appeal.
Richard Halliwell, DRG’s CEO comments: “We are truly excited by this new three-way collaboration as it puts DRG at the centre of content creation and ensures we can use our expertise effectively, inputting creatively on what will work best – and generate most revenue – internationally.”
Halliwell continues: “By cleverly combining talent with their genuine passion projects, Woodcut Media and The Development Partnership have succeeded in creating a brilliant new stream of authentic, talent-led, premium factual programming. DRG’s involvement and investment will now take this to the next level and support our joint ambitions for rapidly growing an impactful and diverse slate of content. Our knowledge of the international landscape and experience of working closely with producers and broadcasters will add tremendous value to this partnership and we look forward to introducing Woodcut and TDP to a raft of contacts and opportunities for meaningful new international collaborations.”
Kate Beal, CEO at Woodcut Media adds: “This feels like the natural next step in our relationship with The Development Partnership. Now, with DRG’s international experience and wide-ranging support, we’ll be able to supercharge our efforts in this space”.
Robert Taylor from The Development Partnership says: “We are really excited to be embarking on this relationship with DRG, and continuing our relationship with Woodcut. TDP is designed as a place where talent can have a meaningful voice in development and in production, and when it comes to our factual work, we want to encourage that in the hope we can tell authentic and authored stories through documentary”.
As part of the new collaboration, DRG will also represent future programmes co-produced between Woodcut and TDP in the international market.
– ends –
For further information, please contact:
Michelle Waldron, Beyond the Box (DRG)
+44 (0) 7768 568970
Tim Beaumont & Elisa Christophe, Beaumont Communications (TDP)
tim@beaumontlondon.com, elisa@beaumontlondon.com
+44 (0) 207 012 1108
About DRG
DRG is an innovative, creative and fast moving business with content at its core. Starting life as a conventional programme distributor in 2007, the company has evolved into a 360-degree content business that today is involved with programme origination and development, financing, talent, production, production services and distribution. DRG also wholly owns Atrium TV, the new international drama ‘commissioning club’, focused on the development of blue chip scripted projects.
Covering scripted and unscripted content, as well as formats, DRG has built its reputation by working closely with, and investing in, a wide range of internationally recognised production companies, as well as by using its expertise in the domestic and international markets to help incubate promising start-ups. DRG has an extensive catalogue of more than 13,000 hours and 150 formats: the business has taken Doc Martin to more than 100 territories, including 7 international remakes, was a driving force in bringing Scandi Noir to the world and has nurtured The Farm to become one of the world’s most established competitive reality formats, with versions airing in more 50 territories over a 10-year period.
DRG is part of Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group). Headquartered in Stockholm, NENT Group is part of Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ), a leading international digital entertainment group listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘MTGA’ and ‘MTGB’).
About Woodcut Media
With offices in London and Hampshire, Woodcut Media, a member of the Anthology Group of businesses, is one of the fastest growing Indies in the UK, producing a broad range of factual programming. A leading true crime producer in the UK (How I Caught the Killer, Jo Frost on Killer Kids, World’s Most Evil Killers, The Krays: The Prison Years), Woodcut’s growing catalogue also includes specialist factual series (Wings of War, Combat Machines, Football: A Brief History by Alfie Allen), premium one off docs (The Ivy, Cut From A Different Cloth and Mandela, My Dad and Me featuring Idris Elba) factual entertainment shows (How Hacks Work, Around the World in 80 Tricks, World’s Scariest Hauntings). (www.woodcutmedia.com)
About the Anthology Group
Anthology Group (formerly Bob & Co) is made up of Anthology Studios and Anthology Advisory. Anthology Studios is currently made up of six television and film production companies, a theatre production company and a licensing company operating across the UK and internationally. Anthology Advisory is made up of a media investment fund advised by FCA regulated Anthology Advisory Partners and bespoke media investment advisory businesses. The group combines creativity and financial expertise to develop and produce scripted and unscripted, television, film, digital and theatre content. The group was founded by Bob Benton to bridge the gap between creativity and finance. Hilary Strong is Chief Executive Officer of the group. Jeremy Mills is Chairman of Anthology Studios and Carolyn Bennett is Chair of the group parent Anthology Media. (www.theanthologygroup.co.uk)
About The Development Partnership
The Development Partnership (TDP) was founded in 2016 and run by Robert Taylor. Its objective is to provide an environment for talent to have a substantial voice in the development and production of projects they are passionate about. It works closely with The Artists Partnership in making these tools available to TAP’s considerable client roster and actively develops feature films, scripted and non-scripted television with them.
